The present application is a request for funds to subsidize the registration costs for trainees to attend the 14th Annual Joint Meeting of the Great Lakes GPCR Retreat and Club des Rcepteurs Sept Domains Transmembranaires du Qubec (referred to as GPCR Retreat in the application). The GPCR Retreat focuses on advances in our understanding of how cells communicate with each other and the environment via G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), the largest class of membrane proteins and one of the largest classes of current drugs on the market. The importance of this family of membrane proteins was recognized this year by the awarding of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Since the first GPCR Retreat in 1999, the event has grown from a local meeting into an internationally recognized conference attracting researchers from the United States, Canada, and around the world. For the first time, the GPCR Retreat will be sponsored by Case Western Reserve University and will be hosted in Cleveland, OH from October 17th-19th, 2013. The meeting is capped at 200 participants and the venue chosen to ensure an intimate atmosphere for students, postdocs, and principle investigators in academia and industry to discuss and debate the most recent findings in GPCR research. A major emphasis of the meeting is on participation by trainees. Historically, trainees represent about 2/3 of the attendees. To promote maximal participation by trainees, registration fees are typically subsidized for this group of young scientists. The present application is a request for funds to continue this subsidization for trainees. PHS 398/2590 (Rev. 06/09) Page Continuation Format Page